Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Sayyed Imam Ali Khamenei has underlined the need for the country to boost its missile defense capability.

“Keep working on the missile program as far as you can. Look how sensitive the enemy is about [the country’s] missiles, so you should know that your work is highly important,” the Leader said in a meeting with a number of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders last month, hours after the IRGC hit Daesh positions in Syria’s eastern Dayr al-Zawr province.

In remarks published on Wednesday, Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Sayyed Imam Ali Khamenei praised the IRGC for its strike against Daesh in Syria.

“The enemy must be slapped in the face,” the Leader added.

During the meeting, the commanders briefed the Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Sayyed Imam Ali Khameneion the strike, saying the IRGC had only hit the positions of the terrorists and that no civilians were targeted in the operation.

The IRGC strike came in response to the June 7 terrorist attacks in Tehran, which killed 18 people. The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group claimed the attacks.

The projectiles were the first launched from Iran at targets outside the country.

The IRGC has said the missiles killed more than 170 Takfiri terrorists, including a number of commanders and senior elements, and inflicted heavy damage on their equipment and systems.